While a common use for ozone is to purify the air and remove odors, ozone in liquid or gas form is safe enough to use for purifying and sanitizing food that will be sold to consumers. The ozone GRAS designation, means that ozone is Generally Regarded As Safe. It first received GRAS approval by the FDA in 1997. In 2001, ozone was approved for direct contact with food by the USDA and the
FDA.
According to Growers2Market.com, such diverse producers as Del Monte, Safeway, Crystal Springs, Coca- Cola, Kimberly-Clark, P & G and Sunny Delight….have been using ozone to clean, sanitize and disinfect without residues – for decades.
While chemical cleaners may be hazardous and leave residue on food, ozone is a completely natural cleaner. It occurs in the environment by photosynthesis in rainforests, electrical discharge during thunderstorms, or from ultraviolet radiation. That delicious fresh odor that occurs after a thunderstorm is ozone. The atmosphere appears so clear and washed after a downpour because the ozone actually bonds with the dust particles in the air and they fall to the ground when they aggregate. It's not something you can see happen but you do notice the difference after it
rains.
Ozone is also safe to use for commercial cleaning in such places as schools, hospitals, hotels and
restaurants as well as for food processors. When added to wash water in it's liquid or gaseous form, it kills bacteria, fungus, mold and viruses, as well as completely destroying odors. Special infusers insert ozone into the water. After the cleaner has been used, the ozone disapates and half of it has
returned to the air in about 20 minutes. So the produce you buy in the grocery that has been cleaned by liquid ozone no longer has ozone residue on it and is safe for consumption.
OzoneExperts.com primarily sells products that use ozone for odor elimination. However, this
summer we plan to introduce a product that uses bacteria killing ozone to safely transport produce to market. Contact us to help you determine which ozone purification products are right for
your cleaning and disinfecting needs.